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For a moment, he didn’t answer Even in the darkness, she could feel his black eyes on her Finally, he spoke in a rueful tone “It seereement we made in March”
Those hu behind her eyes She blinked theht now?”
He was silent again, a breath-held kind of quiet Then, finally, “Do you need me?”
She couldn’t quite bring herself to say it Yet
And he spoke again, chidingly “You never said so in the ate”
She had the tears under control for theto slow Her cheeks were burning red Memories of their four-day love affair see Glorious Yet awful, too, in the sense of loss and hopelessness that dragged at her “Yes, well, I do have so your housekeeper I need you I’ it on your voice mail”
He took a step closer “Gen” What was it she heard in his voice? Longing? Pain? Or only her oishful thinking? She couldn’t tell, not with just that one syllable to judge by Whatever eripped him, he instantly banished it and added with his customary quiet control, “Come inside”
“Fine” She braced her hand against the wall, put ht Her bad ankle didn’t give out, but it wobbled beneath her She winced and let out a moan
He was at her side in an instant “Let race that so cos had been broken in the accident six ht lione now
But when the ht side of his face, the scar was still there, puckered and angry, though not as red as before It started at the corner of his eye, curving around his cheek in a shape that echoed the crescentat the side of hisRafe rarely so, she’d asked if he’d checked into the possibilities of plastic surgery He’d said no, he hadn’t And he didn’t intend to
“Here” He took her hand His touch slaain, so warood? It wasn’t the least fair He’d always sht of hirass and fresh air and sweet, just-turned earth
And please What did it ood? She had to put all her concentration on the task before her, on telling him what he needed to know
He guided her arth seared along her side Together, with her leaning on hio in, taking the stone path through the hedge and across a stretch of lawn to the wide patio shaded by jacaranda and carob trees and through the open French doors into the combination kitchen and family room
“Here” He led her to a hite chair
“Maybe not,” she warned “I’ve got bits of grass and dirt all over my jeans”
“It’s all right Sit down”
“Your call,” she said resignedly, easing her ar onto the soft cushion “It hardly looks like the sae rooht-colored fabrics and modern oversize furniture The kitchen now had chef-quality appliances and granite and wood countertops
“Tourists with fat billfolds don’t appreciate heavy draperies and an ancient fridge They want coestured toward the terrace opposite the French doors On that side, the villa needed no garden walls It touched the edge of the cliff From where she sat, she could see the crowns of palm trees and farther out, the harbor and the blue Mediterranean The DeValerys were English, of Norman descent, but Montedoran blood also ran in their veins Villa Santorno had coenerations from a Montedoran-born DeValery bride
“So” She tried not to sound wistful “You really do plan to make it a rental?”
“I do” He towered above her, the scar pulling at his mouth, his eyes endlessly dark and way too soements for the villa’s renovation At that time, it had been four months since the accident that took his older brother Edward’s life and gave Rafe the earldom as well as his crescent scar Genny had essentially run hi now